Tuesday, July 30, 2013

TRULY YOURS

I'm excited to announce that the paperback edition of my newest release, Truly Yours, is now available wherever books are sold.  The KINDLE and NOOK editions will be available for download this Thursday, August 1, 2013. 
A fine work of art…... 
Legendary engineer Darryl Boudreaux is a master with his hands, and his creative genius is unparalleled. Many a woman has desired Darryl's expert tutelage, but he is off the market—for anything serious. Experience has convinced him to focus his passion on his work.
When architect Camryn Charles gets sight of her new partner, she is determined to keep things professional. This is easier said than done. Is it the heat of the smoldering French Quarter, or is it Darryl's quiet sexiness that is raising her temperature? Camryn would never sacrifice her integrity for a few wanton moments between the sheets. Yet Darryl's burning gaze suggests there could be something more between them—something that could dare them both to lay everything on the line….
An excerpt from Truly Yours:
Darryl was suddenly unnerved by the eagerness that consumed him as he sauntered slowly to where Camryn was sitting. The attractive woman was even more stunning, having changed from her business attire to a form fitting Herve Leger dress. The fabric’s vibrant red color complemented her complexion nicely. Her dark brown curls had been slicked back into a neat ponytail, and big bold earrings decorated her earlobes. Her makeup was impeccable and her easy smile showed dazzling white teeth. Her dark eyes were large and bright, her crystal complexion reminding him of deep, rich molasses. The sight of her took his breath away.
“I’m not late, am I?” Darryl asked, a quiver of heat shooting through his spirit. He tried to be casual as he pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and sat down.
Camryn took a deep breath and swallowed before speaking. “No, not at all, Darryl. I was actually a few minutes early.”
Darryl’s smile widened. “So, here we are,” he said as a wave of nervous energy seemed to blanket the space around them.
“Here we are,” Camryn echoed, suddenly feeling like a grade-schooler with her first crush.
The silence was unnerving and both were grateful when their server moved to the table to take their orders.
“Bourbon. Definitely bourbon,” Camryn said, her eyebrows lifted in jest.  Camryn laughed. “I’ll take mine straight,” she added. “Three fingers, please!"
By the time the drinks were delivered, the two were making small talk. Camryn commented on the unusually warm weather and an unplanned shopping excursion. Darryl reflected on his flight into town and the storms that had delayed his travels. Camryn bragged about the two awards she’d recently won for the family business. Darryl detailed the multi-million- dollar project he’d worked on before being hired by his brother. She talked about her father and their family business. He shared his vision for Boudreaux Towers and what might come after. They shied away from sharing any personal information, only very briefly mentioning anything about their respective families. Neither ventured to divulge whether or not they were in a romantic relationship.  Instead, the duo had seemed to come to an unspoken agreement of not wanting to know if there was someone significant in the other's personal life.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

DROPPING THE F-BOMB



I sometimes cuss when I’m in the gym working out.  Not out loud.  Not really.  Just a low dirty word under my breath every now and then when something is particularly challenging.  Or I’ll mouth it, silently, just the expression of it showing on my face. 
I am very mindful of the words that come out of my mouth and I try not to use profanity ever.  But I wasn’t always this way.  There was a time I could cuss like a sailor.  Sonshine has a horrible potty mouth.  He blames me for it and puts forth no effort to do better.  I can just imagine the first words that will come out of my new grandbaby’s mouth.
I’m more aware of when I swear now and only because my very favorite guy doesn’t cuss ever.  It kind of threw me when we first started dating to be with a man who has rarely, if ever, uttered a curse word.  It actually felt a little weird to cuss around a person who never cussed.  I’d get this look and then the question.  “Don’t you have another word in your vocabulary that you could use?”  The first time he asked, I answered.  A profound, “hell no!” my response.  He said “okay” and that was the end of that conversation.  Until I cussed again and he asked, again.  By the third or fourth time that he asked, I actually gave it different consideration and began to be more creative with my expressions.  After working on it for a while I realized that I didn’t really do it anymore.  Until today.
Today, in the gym.  I cussed.  I dropped a perfunctory F-bomb as I finished the third set on some machine that had my legs and glutes feeling like jelly.  I probably wouldn’t have even noticed except the woman on the machine beside me nodded her head and said, “Yeah, I know how you feel!”  I laughed and moved on to the next machine. 
I’ve decided to reserve my cussing just for the gym.  And only because I hate the gym that much.  I hate it with such a passion that the F-word repeats over and over again in my head when I even think about having to go there.  I warned my favorite guy.  I didn't want him to be surprised by it and if he asked about my vocabulary I knew I'd have a few more choice words to share with him that he wasn't going to appreciate.  I warned him and he laughed.  Seems that elliptical machine had his vocabulary a lot more colorful, too!

Monday, July 15, 2013

THE ONLY OPTION by Deatri King-Bey

Today, I'm thrilled to feature friend and fellow author Deatri King-Bey.  I don't often have guest bloggers but when I do, it's because I really want to share something special with you.  When Deatri was six years old, her mother was told that because of Deatri’s dyslexia, she’d probably never learn how to read. At that time it was recommended Deatri partake in a specialized reading curriculum. Unbeknownst to Deatri’s parents, this additional help their daughter would need was actually Deatri being taken out of reading class to sit in the hallway with a tape recorder for a teacher. When Deatri entered the fourth grade at a different school, her parents were terrified to learn their daughter couldn’t read. For years she’d been reciting the bedtime stories to her mother from memory instead of actually reading the written words from the pages.
But times soon changed. In 1999, Deatri was a technical writer at a telecommunications company with dreams of joining the publishing world as a content editor and author. Mind made up, she returned to school and soon started as an editorial intern at Third World Press, Inc., one of the oldest independent, African-American owned publishing houses in the world. Shortly thereafter, her skills were recognized, and she became a more permanent fixture at Third World Press, Inc. Though Deatri believes in Third World Press’s mission, fiction is her true love, so in 2004 she began focusing her editing skills on fiction.
Dozens of manuscripts later, she still hasn’t figured out she wasn’t supposed to learn how to read. February 2006, the second half of Deatri’s dream came true with the release of her debut novel Caught Up. In 2008, Deatri won the coveted Emma Award for Best Steamy Romance of the year with her title Whisper Something Sweet. Currently, she is reading, editing, conducting writing workshops, and writing her next novels.
So, please join me in welcoming Deatri and enjoy the sneak peek
into her writing world!
“Will you marry me?”
Many young ladies dream of the day their hero will bend down on one knee and say those four little words. Of course their hero will be rich, intelligent, tall, dark and handsome and be madly in love with his bride to be.
What’s wrong with wanting a traditional family where the father works outside the home to provide for his family financially and the mother works inside the home to raise the couple’s two point five children? What if the world kept telling you the traditional family you’ve always wanted isn’t for you?
What if an opportunity to have your dream come true made you an offer you’d be insane to accept but every fiber of your being is telling you to accept it? This is where Isis, the heroine in my contemporary romance The Other Option, finds herself.
So what is my latest contemporary romance, The Only Option, about?
Sane upwardly-mobile women don’t agree to enter into arranged marriages… Or do they?
Control freak Jonah Tazi comes from a long line of arranged marriages, but the thought of his parents picking his bride never sat well with him. Time is working against Jonah, so he reluctantly agrees to allow his father to find him a proper bride. Then he meets Isis and becomes infatuated with the vibrant, funny, and talented woman. A powerful man used to getting exactly what he wants, exactly when he wants it, he is unprepared when Isis doesn’t agree to his proposal immediately. Now he is determined to convince her (and everyone else) that he and Isis belong together. Jonah intends to be her only option.
Isis Michaels has always been sheltered by her father. The tables have turned, and now she must shelter him. Isis rearranges her life and will do whatever it takes to please her father during the time he has left—almost anything. It becomes clear that he wants to see her settled before he passes. Is marrying Jonah, a man she’s emotionally and physically attracted to but just met, her only option?
Here’s a little a sneak preview:
Chapter One
“Dad, you’re not choosing my wife.” Adjusting his earpiece, Jonah exited the elevator. Fifteen minutes early for an acquisition meeting, he considered himself late.

“You’re a lot closer to forty than thirty. People are starting to talk.”

“I don’t care.” Artwork lined either side of the hallway. The priceless collection had taken Jonah years to build and there were more pieces to acquire.

“Well, I do. Three years. Three years ago you promised to dedicate time to finding a wife.”

“I’ve been busy running a multibillion-dollar corporation.”

“I was just as busy as my father and his father before him. We’ve always had arranged marriages. That didn’t change when my father moved to this country. He did an excellent job of choosing my wife.”

“You’re divorced.” Jonah’s grandfather had moved his wife from Morocco to the United States shortly after their marriage. The majority of the family remained in Morocco and Spain along with many of their traditions. Jonah’s selection of a wife went beyond tradition. As the only son, Jonah believed it was his duty to produce at least one heir to carry on the Tazi name. Time had slipped by too quickly for him to find a wife. A control freak, he hated the idea of his father choosing his wife, but he didn’t see an alternative.

Attracted to the maturity of women his own age, if he waited much longer, the type of woman Jonah wanted wouldn’t be of childbearing age. “Fine, I’ll get married. I take it you have suitable options in mind?”

“Of course I do. I’ll have your assistant set up the meetings.”

“Speaking of meetings, I have one in thirteen minutes. We can talk later.” Jonah disconnected and continued along the hallway. Originally, he’d tried to acquire D. M. Solutions two years ago, but the owner wouldn’t consider his offer.

He rounded the corner, then stopped in his tracks. Few people had access to his private floor, so seeing a woman standing dangerously close to his Auguste Rodin sculpture shocked him. What drew him even more than her presence were her legs. Quite tall himself, he rarely met a woman who reached his shoulders. He’d give his Rembrandt to have her legs wrapped around him as he pushed into her.

Soon he’d be selecting a wife and other women would be off-limits. Currently a free man, Jonah had no intention of allowing the long-legged lovely to pass him by.
End Sample
I hope you give The Only Option a try. It’s available in PrintKindle, and Nook/ePub (via Barnes & Noble) formats.
I’d love to hear what you think about The Only Option. Find me online at: http://www.DeatriKingBey.com,  https://www.facebook.com/deatri, http://www.Twitter.com/DeatriKingBey
Thank you so much, Deborah, for sharing your followers with me. It’s been fun.

Friday, July 12, 2013

THEME SONGS

Every book I've ever written has had a theme song or songs; music that played over and over again in the background as I wrote.  There was something about each that moved me, connecting me to the story or the characters.  Some of the songs that have inspired the characters in my Boudreaux Family series have surprised me.  Others not so much. 

50 Cent consumed me a few months ago as I plotted through The Sweetest Thing, my March 2014 book in the Just Desserts series that I'm writing for Kensington Books.  His music was hard and raw and one song, Candy Shop, took me and my writing places I hadn't imagined going.  When I finished, I was really happy with the outcome.  Since then I haven't had any need for 'Fiddy'.

Maitlyn Boudreaux's story, Hearts Afire, is next in the Boudreaux Family lineup, currently scheduled to come out in February 2014.  Maitlyn required something else and it took me a minute to figure out what that was.  And then a chance click on a "new video" link brought me the perfect song.  As Maitlyn lost herself,  found love, lost love, rediscovered herself and reclaimed love, Alicia Keyes played in the background, over and over, one song speaking volumes about who Maitlyn was and where she was going.

The chorus to Alicia's song, Tears Always Win, was Maitlyn's theme.  As I closed the pages on Maitlyn's story, letting her go, I was happy because she was ecstatic.  Then I was able to put Alicia on pause.  In a few weeks I'll be on the search for new songs, new beats to blow life into Maitlyn's brother Kendrick or maybe her sister Kamaya.  Not sure yet who'll come first.  I think it will depend on the song that moves me. 



Thursday, July 04, 2013

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!


Headed to be with family for fellowship and barbecue!  I wish everyone a blessed day and may your 4th of July be filled with fun, food, fireworks, fond memories and much love!